tw: past trauma
No One POV
December 14th 2025
Earlier
In Alfheim Online, Asuna, Leafa, Lizbeth, and Klein are fighting a salamander like mob when it does a tail slam causing the girls to scatter.
Silica: Oh my gosh, Klein, are you ok?
Klein: *holding the tail* Come one guys, what are you waiting for, an invitation?
Lizbeth: (sarcastically) He's being extra manly today.
Leafa: Tell me about it.
Yui: Hold on Klein, were coming.
Klein: Take you time ladies. *mob moves* Oh crap! *get's sprayed with poison gas* Poison gas!
Silica: Hold you breath! *flies up to avoid the gas*
Klein: Asuna!
Asuna: *zoning out*
Klein: Hey Asuna, need a hand here!
Asuna: *still zoned out*
Klein: ALFHEIM TO ASUNAAAA!
Asuna: *snaps out of it and starts chanting a spell to heal Klein*
Klein: *giggling like an idiot*
Every one starts attacking the mob and finish it off.
Asuna: I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to space out like that.
Klein: It's all good, no foul.
Lizbeth: Yeah, todays is yours and (y/n)'s big day.
Silica: That's right, Kirito and (y/n)'s tournament, it's gonna start soon.
Leafa: I don't know about you guys but why don't we quit early and go over to our room to watch it.
Klein: I say we use the cash we scored to buy beer and snacks.
Lizbeth: Do you honestly think we are going to let you blow all our money on food?
Yui: *flies over to Asuna* Don't you worry mommy, daddy and uncle are going to win today, you'll see.
Asuna: Sure I will. No matter were they go Kirito and (y/n) can handle themselves. *looking at the world tree*
Lizbeth: Hey guys, we don't want to miss the first match so lets start heading over to Yggdrasil city.
timeskip brought to you by chibi Yui getting excited seeing (y/n) and Kirito fighting in the tournament
Asuna, Silica, Klein, Lizbeth, Leafa, and Yui were watching the stream of BoB.
Leafa: *taking a drink* Where's Kazuto and (y/n)? They should of shown up by now?
Silica: Maybe they don't have all the battles up on the feed yet. I mean knowing Kirito we should of seen him running around guns blazing from the start?
Asuna: Yeah but (y/n) is much more methodical and him being hidden is sort of his preference.
Klein: I don't know, those 2 are the craftiest players I have ever met, they're probably laying low waiting for the competition to kill each other off.
Asuna: Oh please, you and I both know Kirito doesn't play like that, (y/n) yes but Kirito no. Isn't that right Yui?
Yui: Absolutely, besides daddy's so fast I doubt he'll even show up on camera. Both of them will sneak up on their enemies before they know what's happening.
Asuna: *laughing*
Lizbeth: They can't do it any other way, both are in games with guns and they're using sword, though (y/n) did adapt well and even asked me to commission 4 guns for him.
Leafa: What does he use?
Lizbeth: 6 pistols, a backup pistol, a sniper rifle, a sword, his hidden blades but they are different from his normal. His armor is similar to the one here and he has the same tools.
Silica: Oh.
Lizbeth: *whistles* That one guys un-believable.
Asuna: Hu? *looks back at the screen*
The stream is showing Pale Ridder dodging bullets with incredible speed.
Asuna: You mean the one in white? *blows up feed*
Feed: *showing the death of Dine*
Silica: He's super fast.
Lizbeth: Yeah, that guy's sick. I bet he's going to win this thing.
Feed: *shows Pale Ridder getting shot with a stun bullet*
Girls: Ah!
Klein: Look's like your boy's full of suck Liz.
Lizbeth: Shut up, he's not out of it yet.
Feed: *shows stun bullet*
Silica: What happened to him?
Yui: It's some type of paralysis attack. Most likely temporary.
Leafa: It's like he was hit with that wind spell thunder-wind.
Feed: *cuts to Ridders feed and a bit of a black cloak shows up*
Girls: *gasp*
Feed: *showing Death Gun and then he pulls out his handgun and tries to shoot him when he's shot at 2 times and dodges both and then a third shot kill Ridder*
Leafa: *watching kill feed* That was (y/n) who killed him!
Lizbeth: But why?
Feed: *cuts to Death Gun*
Feed Death Gun: Death Gun is my name and the name of my gun. *points gun at camera*
Asuna: *gasps*
Feed Death Gun: One day I'll pay you all a visit to, and bring real death with this gun. You've seen my power before, it is real. This isn't over, not yet, I'm just getting started. It's showtime.
Asuna thoughts: I've met this person before, but where? There's only one place I could of, Aincrad.
Klein: *drops his drink*
Lizbeth: Wait a sec, way to scare the hell out of everyone.
Klein: You've got to be kidding me, no way, it can't be.
Asuna: *gets up quickly* You know him too, you remember his name?
Klein: No, I forget the handle he used, but it's him. There's no doubt. He was in Laughing Coffin.
Girls: *gasp*
Asuna: Laughing Coffin. Was he their leader, you know the knife wielder?
Klein: No, pretty sure it's not PoH, the way talks and acts is different, except for that showtime line though. PoH was the only one who said that, but this guy was close to PoH, I'm taking right hand man close.
Asuna: Kirito.
Leafa/Silica/Lizbeth: (y/n).
mini timeskip brought to you by chibi (y/n) thinking about how close he got to killing chibi PoH, Johnny Black, and Red-Eyed Xaxa during the Laughing Coffin raid
Klein: In SAO we had a code, never let another players HP hit 0 no matter what. We knew if it dropped to nothing, that player would die. Laughing Coffin didn't care. They killed dozens no hundreds of people, the Assault team had to step in, including (y/n). We put a party together to capture them, well except for (y/n). He killed quite a few of them and barely flinched when he did.
Asuna: But you have to remember that he was the Assassin, killing Laughing Coffin members was his specialty.
Klein: Yeah, but when we had everyone captured, (l/n) went after 2 specifically to the point that it took me, you and Kirito just to hold him back.
Asuna: Yeah. He knew that those 2 were close to PoH but it's what he said that shocked me to my core.
Leafa: What did he say?
Klein and Asuna: "They don't deserve to live for what they have done. They should burn in the pits of hell and I should be the one to fucking send them there."
Leafa: He said that?
Asuna: Yeah, he has a heated history with them as you know Leafa.
Leafa: Yeah. Maybe that's why those 2 have been acting so weird lately, now I'm worried. (l/n) might be settling a grudge and Kazuto is helping.
Lizbeth: Grudge, isn't this suppose to be a prat-time job?
Asuna: Sorry, I need to log out for a bit. I need to get in touch with Kirito and (y/n)'s client.
Silica: Wait, they have a client?
Asuna: Mu-hum. He's the one who got Kirito and (y/n) to dive into GGO. I bet he knows what's going on. Oh and Yui, I'm going to nee your help while I'm gone, find out anything you can about GGO.
Yui: *does adorable little salute* You can count on me mommy.
Asuna: I'll be back in a little while, wish me luck. *logs out*
In GGO
(y/n) POV
(y/n): Maybe a little but I have walked on the razors edge between life and death many times many times before so it doesn't bother me. I probably have more to lose now than I did back then but I still do it without hesitation. Hell I still don't really fear death, I didn't back then and I don't now.
Sinon: Ok then, don't go after him just stay here and keep low. As long as BoB is going on we can't log out but when the competition whittles down to us and one other player we can suicide out and let the other guy win.
(y/n): No. I'm not going to sit here and wait. Just how many people could die because of him.
Sinon: Yeah. I'm not going to hide either. I'm going outside and I am helping you take that bastard out.
(y/n): No you are not, he shoots you, you die period, end of story.
Sinon: I don't care if I die. I was so scarred back at the stadium, I was scarred that I was going to die, I was even weaker than I was 5 years ago.
(y/n): I'm guessing that it's his gun that has too do with it, doesn't it?
Sinon: How did you-
(y/n): I'm not an idiot. When we were talking before BoB when I mentioned the Type 54 your breach hitched just slightly to the point that it was barley noticeable and then at the stadium when he drew his gun it was like your body shut down to the point you let go of you handgun and just stopped moving. So I assume you have some pass trauma because of that gun.
Sinon: I-I-
Kirito: (y/n).
Sinon: H-he's right. But I'll fight him myself. *stands up and starts to walk away*
(y/n): *grabs her wrist* I'm not letting you do that. Do you really want to die!?
Sinon: Maybe I do and maybe I'm supposed to die alone. *tries to leave* Let go. I have to do this.
(y/n): Why, revenge, a way to right the wrongs of the past, to burry the demons of the past? Trust me it is much more difficult than you'd think. Also if you die it you leave a hole in all of the people lives you were a part of and like it or not you are apart of mine now.
Sinon: Yeah well I didn't ask to be a part of it, besides my life's no one else's business but mine.
(y/n): Your wrong we are apart of each others now.
Sinon: *grabs (y/n)'s jacket* Alright, if that's how it is then you can protect me for the rest of my life. *lets a tears slip* *starts hitting him* You don't know anything and you can't do anything so don't go saying stuff like that. *slowly starting to cry* This isn't your fight it's mine, mine! Even if I lose, even if I die, no one can blame me for did. *crying while shaking* You wanna help, carry this burden with me then what hu. You gonna hold my hands, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BLOOD ALL OVER THEM! *hits (y/n) multiple times while crying heavily*
(y/n): *takes a deep breath* I get it. If yours have blood all over them then mine are covered in blood. My nickname transcends this game and it all started in the game Sword Art Online. First time I had to kill someone was to try to protect the people I cared about then I killed for revenge against the people who killed them, hell it might still be for revenge if I do kill him in the real world. You're better than me because yours just have blood on them while mine are covered because of revenge. Over 60, I have killed over 60 people in SAO. So I understand better than most people would. *slowly wraps arms around Sinon while both slowly sit down*
mini timeskip brought to you by chibi (y/n) helping chibi Sinon with her past by making her let it out
Sinon: Even though I hate you guts, can I borrow you lap for a sec? *lays down on (y/n)'s lap*
(y/n): Of course. (thoughts) Why do I feel holes being burned into my head?
Sinon: I-I killed someone, about 5 years ago in a small town up north. This guy tried to rob a post office. The news said the robber died because his gun went off accidently but the truth is I was there, I grabbed his gun and shot him dead.
(y/n): How old were you?
Sinon: I was 11 years old, and ever since then when ever I see a gun I start throwing up and then I pass out. If I see a gun, I see the face of the robber and the way he looked right before he died and then I-I so scared.
(y/n): Really.
Sinon: Yeah, but in this world I don't have those problems, and that got me thinking. If I can become the strongest player in the game then I'll be strong IRL too and maybe I can forget what I did but-
(y/n): Trust me, trauma lingers, it will always linger but it's how we move forward that defines us. It reminds me of something I've heard before "When you're in your darkest place, you give yourself hope and that's inner strength."
That is another chapter done and the penultimate chapter in the Phantom Bullet arc. I mentioned in a previous chapter that I feel Death Gun has the best presentation and I wanted to elaborate my thoughts on the major villain's. Heathcliff was the surprise villain, Sugou you hate, Death Gun has the best presentation, Quinella was the trickiest, and Gabriel and PoH were the most personal with Laughing Coffin being the overarching villain of the series. I hope you have had a good day or when ever you have read this. Goodbye for now.
tankiss01